This afternoon as the Washington Nationals’ welcomed Jason Bergmann back to the bigs with a thrilling 1-0 victory (and series win) over the Mets in New York, the racing presidents — George, Tom, Abe, and Teddy — took to the streets of Baltimore in preparation for this weekend’s series against the Orioles at Camden Yards.

Accompanied by team mascot Screech, the presidents taunted the Orioles Bird at the Inner Harbor, carrying signs that included “Old Bay Stinks!” (Tom), “Honestly, The Nats Will Sweep Baltimore Hun!” (Abe), “I Can Not Tell A Lie–The Nats Will Win!” (George), and of course “I’ll Race the Orioles Bird and Beat Him!” (Teddy) .

I was fortunate enough to be in Baltimore for business today, but didn’t have my camera with me(!). However, this video by WNST in Baltimore captures the spirit, and there are some other great shots over at Nats 320. Washington Post writers Dan Steinberg and Marc Fisher had separately predicted an unfriendly and even dangerous reception for the presidents by Baltimore locals; but while the presidents heard a smattering of boos and O’s cheers, the reception in the tourist-heavy Inner Harbor area was mostly enthusiastic.

Most surprisingly was the reaction by Orioles owner Peter Angelos, the long-time nemesis of DC baseball fans, who reacted politely to the visit, telling the Baltimore Sun “They’re welcome to do that. It is one huge megalopolis, you know? It’s about time we realize it.”

UPDATE: The Nationals confirmed that the presidents will not be racing at Camden Yards this weekend, but Screech will be there to represent the team.